The present invention relates to a brake pad arrangement for a vehicle brake having a brake pad or friction pad, a pad back plate and a damping plate which is arranged on the pad back plate.
Brake pad arrangements of this type are known from the prior art and disclosed, for example, in German laid-open applications DE 196 02 037 A1, and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 6,056,091, both of which are incorporated by reference herein in entirety, or DE 10 2006 052 178 A1. The brake pad arrangement described in the prior art has a pad back plate, a friction pad being arranged on one side of the pad back plate and a damping plate being arranged on the opposite side. The damping plate is produced from thin sheet metal and further comprises laterally projecting extensions which, after attachment to the pad back plate, are laterally bent round at right angles bearing against the latter, in order to increase the damping effect of the damping plate. In the installed position of the brake pad arrangement, these extensions bear against an associated portion of the brake carrier of a vehicle brake, in order to create a damping intermediate layer there too.
The damping plate and the associated extensions are provided to suppress or damp frictional vibrations occurring in a disc brake which may result in noise emissions generally known as “squeal”. The disadvantage of brake pad arrangements of this type lies in the fact that the attachment to, and the ensuing deformation of the extensions of the damping plate on, the pad back plate involve high outlay. Moreover, on producing the damping plate, by for example stamping, a relatively large amount of scrap arises owing to the fact that the damping plate including the extensions is of one piece. A further disadvantage lies in the fact that with different-size disc brakes the extensions on the damping plate likewise have to be formed differently, resulting in further, considerable outlay for modification.